


An Exploration of Alternate Universes: Drabbles

by Iaveina



Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: Gen, M/M, Mind Reader!AU, Sloth!AU, So far Freewood and Platonic Geovin, So many AUs, Superhero!AU, homeless!au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-06-27
Updated: 2014-07-21
Packaged: 2018-02-06 12:25:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 3,065
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1858002
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Iaveina/pseuds/Iaveina
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A collection of drabbles based on prompts given to me by pairing and AU type. </p>
<p>So far, Gavin can read minds and finds Ryan's thoughts to be particularly interesting. Geoff finds a kid huddled outside in the rain and takes him in. Ryan and Gavin take a trip to the zoo in one chapter and in the next they're superheroes. Individual prompt information and ratings will be at the beginning of each chapter.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. That Which is Left Unsaid

**Author's Note:**

> I have no idea how to summarise this entire fic, but each chapter's individual prompt will be in the note at the top!
> 
> \----
> 
> "pairing: freewood au: gavin is a mind reader"
> 
> Rating: PG (mentions of sickness)
> 
> Can be found on tumblr [here](http://iaveinabox.tumblr.com/post/90005756215/that-which-is-left-unsaid).

Ordinarily he never found it difficult to stay in control. The walls around his mind were strong, carefully built from years of experience, and were usually sufficient enough to allow him to function in everyday life without a problem.

However, today was different.

Gavin could not remember feeling this unwell in years. His general ‘nope’ attitude towards sickness somehow meant that he rarely fell ill but, the few times his attitude alone had not been enough, when he did sucumb to sickness it usually hit him. And hard.

If the nausea that churned in his stomach wasn’t enough, or the rawness in his throat, he found that his ability to zone out the mental voices of his coworkers was just not working and, almost as one in a huge ball of loud and confusion, he found his mind being overrun by the mundane and sometimes annoying thoughts of his friends.

‘ _I wonde-_ ’

‘ _-his is so-_ ’

‘- _if I have to play this fucking ga-’_

_‘-eed a god da-’_

_‘-only this was nearly fini-’_

_‘-ust twenty more minu-’_

Gavin groaned slowly, dropping his head onto his desk. Beside him Michael, whose thoughts were swirling in annoyance from whatever game had been chosen for this week’s Rage Quit, paid no attention to him and, for once, he was glad that his desk was by the wall. Even if it had taken a bit of getting used to.

He tried to shut out the babble of voices but snapped to attention when he heard his name amongst the chaos.

‘ _Gavin doesn’t look well, I should offer to drive him home.’_

His brow creased in confusion as he tried to focus on the thought, taking a moment to shift between Jack and Ryan’s similar voices before realising that it was the latter who had thought of him. Still keeping his forehead firmly pressed against the smooth wood of his desk, he heard footsteps approach him and a warm hand appear lightly on his back.

“You look terrible.” ‘ _I could take him back to my place, look after him until Geoff’s finished here for the day.’_

“Huh?” Gavin croaked to the desk in a mumble, stiffening against the hand on his back. “Why’d you wanna look aft’r me?” He slurred, a pounding in his head joining the churning of his stomach. “Y’don’t like me.”

‘ _Yep. Definitely not leaving him alone._ ’ “You’re going to have to speak up Gav, I can’t hear you when your head’s down.”

Gavin opened his mouth to reply and, after a particularly bad wave of nausea, found himself on his feet and sprinting for the bathroom.

It was only after singing to the porcelain throne he realised that Ryan had followed him into the stall - he must have neglected to lock it in his rush - and that the older man’s hand was gently rubbing circles up and down his back. As Gavin’s head twinged violently he found himself unable to focus on the thoughts that swirled beneath russet brown locks, but the overwhelming feeling of concern was evident on both his face and the vibes he gave out.

“Better out than in,” he joked, keeping his voice down. Gavin sighed gratefully, the other man’s deep voice soothing to his ears. “Do you think you can survive being in a car for a bit? You’ll feel a lot better with sleep.”

Gavin turned his head to stare into soft, caring blue eyes and realised with a start that maybe Ryan liked him after all.


	2. The Smallest Observations (Can Go a Long Way)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Platonic Geovin. Homeless teen Gavin who sleeps near the roosterteeth building."
> 
> Rating: PG
> 
> Can be found on tumblr [here](http://iaveinabox.tumblr.com/post/90009974095/the-smallest-observations-can-go-a-long-way).

Geoff considered himself to be an observant man, even if he did not particularly look like one. He guessed that the perpetually sleepy expression and lack of serious conviction in most things probably had something to do with it.

But he prided himself in being able to notice the smallest changes. Whether it be if his daughter had suffered a nightmare during the night and needed comfort from her father, or if his coworkers had misplaced something, he always knew how to respond.

But today… today presented him with a situation he never thought he would encounter.

He had been driving to work, like he did every day, as the rain fell furiously outside. That in itself was not unusual for Austin, but it still annoyed him to no end as he clutched the steering wheel tightly and glared out of the front window as the wipers smacked the rain from his field of vision, only for it to reappear within seconds.

The office was not far, only a couple of blocks away, when a dark form huddled in the doorway of a closed shop caught his eye. He squinted, trying to process what it was, before he sharply pulled the vehicle to the side of the road and flung open his door.

The curled figure did not react to his approach, and when Geoff clamped his hand onto the painfully thin shoulder clothed in a ragged hoody the person did not respond. Geoff knelt down and shook the shoulder beneath his hand gently, the icy chill of the rain seeping into his clothing, and raised his voice above the sounds of the cars around them.

“Hey,” he prodded, leaning in closer despite the smell. The person mumbled something unintelligible and moved their head, revealing a tired hazel eye rimmed with bruises. Geoff started violently, despite most of his face covered the person before him looked like a kid. No older than 14 at the most if he had to guess.  

That alone spurred him on and, without waiting for a response from the kid, scooped the small body into his arms and sprinted back towards his car. He deposited the body into the back seat and climbed in afterwards, pulling the door shut with a slam.

“Kid,” he pushed back sopping wet hair, allowing him to see the terribly gaunt and young face of the boy he had rescued. His eyes were open, barely, and he stared at Geoff in almost detached confusion. “Hey buddy, can you hear me?”

After a second of silence the boy nodded, a slight movement accompanied by a tired moan. “Wh’t ‘re you doin’?” He mumbled, dulled hazel orbs drifting shut. He shuddered, his teeth chattering. Geoff grabbed his jacket from the front seat.

“I’m saving your life, dumbass,” he replied, pulling the boy’s tattered and sopping wet sneakers from his feet. The boy’s eyes peaked open. “I need to take your hoodie off, it’s soaked.”

The boy jumped, pushing himself away from Geoff with startlingly awake and panicked eyes. “But…it’s  _mine_ ,” he groaned, folding his arms tightly around himself. “You can’t have it.” His voice was young and unbroken. Geoff rolled his eyes.

“I’m not stealing it, you’re going to catch hypothermia if it stays on,” the boy did not look convinced, but the general panic on his face dissipated and he slumped forward. Geoff continued. “My name’s Geoff, what’s yours?”

The boy stared at him for a moment before swallowing heavily. “I’m Gavin,” he mumbled, fumbling with the hem of his hoodie. “I think…I need help.”

Geoff nodded, used to helping his daughter dress, and pulled Gavin’s hoodie off in one smooth motion. He replaced it immediately with his warm jacket, hyper aware of how skinny Gavin’s arms were and how, if he was shirtless, he could probably count his ribs.

Gavin sank into the warmth, hugging his arms around his midriff, and even though his teeth still chattered he attempted to smile in thanks. Geoff sighed.

“My wife will kill me if I don’t bring you home,” he told him, running a hand through his hair. Gavin blinked. “And I don’t want to let you out in this. Do you have anywhere to go?”

Gavin shook his head shyly and Geoff felt his heart twinge. He clambered over into the driver’s seat and started the engine, looking to Gavin in the mirror. The boy looked at him with something akin to unbridled hope.

“We’ll be at mine in about twenty minutes, how does that sound?”

Gavin’s wide eyes and blinding smile were all the answers he needed.


	3. Epitome of Laziness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Imagine Freewood with sloths."
> 
> Rating: G
> 
> Can be found on tumblr [here](http://iaveinabox.tumblr.com/post/90075524470/epitome-of-laziness).

“I wonder what it’s like, being a sloth.”

Ryan, stood to one side as he attentively read the animal fact sheet by one of the enclosures at the zoo, raised an eyebrow and turned his head slightly to look towards Gavin. The Brit was leaning against the railing, the sun high above the full green trees shining lightly onto his face as a breeze ruffled through his hair, with his eyes fixed on the animal before him.

“You’re far too energetic to be a sloth, Gav.”

“I know,” Gavin replied, slumping further against the wooden barrier, with a relaxed sigh. “But they’re just so… _interesting_. They hang there without a care in the world and don’t have to worry about editing or visas or any of that malarkey. I’d love to do that.”

The female sloth in the enclosure did indeed just hang there, like the epitome of laziness, clutching the branch of a tree with her long curved claws; her raggedy fur tinted green from the natural algae that decorated the grey, with her eyes staring at Gavin as intently as he stared at her.

Ryan found it funny how Gavin seemed to attract animals regardless of their species. Dogs, cats and now apparently sloths loved him - and this particular sloth, according to the signs, was supposed to be very shy and easily startled. He shook his head and stood next to his boyfriend, curling his arm around the gentle curve of Gavin’s back and tugging his hand into the pocket of the Brit’s jeans.

Gavin stepped into the embrace and rested his head on Ryan’s shoulder, his bright eyes still fixated on the sloth. Ryan titled his head and muttered smoothly.

“If I knew this would calm you down I would have brought you here a lot sooner.”

“Mmm…can we keep one?”

“No.”


	4. Strength and Speed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "For the three sentence thing: Freewood Superhero AU, plz?"
> 
> Rating: PG (trigger warning for fire)
> 
> Can be found on tumblr [here](http://iaveinabox.tumblr.com/post/90102907070/strength-and-speed).

“Ryan!” Gavin screamed, struggling to raise his voice over the furious roar of flames that surrounded him. They licked at his feet as they rose to envelop the furniture of an apartment that once housed a family, filling his body with an uncomfortable heat and causing sweat to fall in beads down his face.

He was suddenly glad for the suit that Burnie had forced him to wear. He may have looked like a complete prat in it, immediately noticeable in a crowd in strikingly bright red, but it definitely held up against even the harshest of elements.

His face, however, was not going to fare so well if he stayed there any longer. He pulled the scarf resting around his neck over his nose and mouth and stepped forward.

“Ryan!” He called again, dodging the burning husk of a former-sofa that fell apart with a groan. He squinted through the smoke. “C’mon Rye-bread! We need to leave,  _now_!”

He could see the hazy outline of his partner at the back of the room, appearing from the doorway, and sighed in relief.

“There’s still a kid missing,” Ryan yelled back through his own scarf, moving towards a door almost entirely obscured with smoke. Gavin joined him with a cough, eyeing the nearby open window hopefully where the dying vestiges of sunlight could be seen. “We don’t have much time!”

Ryan elbowed his way into the room, the door being no match to the extreme strength that coursed through his bones, and cried out in triumph. Gavin peered over his shoulder, standing on his the tips of his toes to see past him, and was rewarded with the sight of a tiny little girl huddled under a desk, covered by a blanket.

They rushed forward in unison, Ryan muttering calm words in his deep, soothing voice to the girl as he pulled her out of her hiding place. She wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her sooty face into his shoulder whilst Gavin moved to assess the chaos around them, mentally highlighting the problematic routes back to the open window.

“Ryan, we need to go,” he said hurriedly, grabbing his boyfriend’s wrist and pulling him and his bundle from the room. The floor creaked and moaned beneath their feet and for a second Gavin did not think they would make it.

Something nearby whistled. A high-pitched, foreboding sound of flame meeting gas and, on complete instinct, Gavin turned in its direction and threw up his hands as an explosion of soaring heat and flame erupted from the wall.

His ears filled with a rush of power as the flames before him stuttered and transformed from a rapid burst of movement into something almost statuesque, moving far too slow to cause harm. Gavin’s hands, held out from his body like a barrier between him and certain death, shook with the effort of controlling something so big and he guessed that the trickle he could feel dripping from his nose was blood. He coughed.

Ryan grabbed his bicep and pulled him towards the window, startling him enough to lose some of his concentration. In response, the flames sped up to near-normal speed and at the force of the ensuing explosion he found himself, alongside Ryan who held the girl in his arms protectively like precious cargo, hurtling through the solid wall and down to the street below.

He regained his wits fast enough to fling his hands out, concentrating on slowing his and Ryan’s descent. He was positive that, even without the help, Ryan’s super strength would enable him to land safely and protect the child in his grasp but Gavin was certain he would not be so lucky.

He hit the ground with a dull thump and rolled across the tarmac, coming to a halt at the feet of the child’s mother who jumped over him to rush towards Ryan. Ryan had landed on his back, but was climbing to his feet with the ease of someone who had merely fallen from the sofa instead of from the window of a sixth floor apartment. He handed the child over to her grateful mother and strolled over to Gavin, pulling him to his feet before brushing dirt away from his own bright red uniform.

News crews and journalists appeared around them, desperately trying to interview them about their daring endeavour, but Ryan ignored them as he stared at Gavin with twinkling blue eyes.

“We should do that again some time.”


	5. At the Stage Door

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "oh gosh, um, do you think you could do some freewood where ryan is a stage actor and gavin goes to one of his shows?"
> 
> Rating: G
> 
> Can be found on tumblr [here](http://iaveinabox.tumblr.com/post/90187764870/at-the-stage-door).

Gavin had absolutely no interest in the theatre. None whatsoever. His preference lay in the cinema, where he could happily see any movie he wanted and watch as the director’s wildest dreams played out perfectly on the screen, aided by modern technology in becoming something so utterly amazing and fascinating. The theatre, hindered by its lack of special effects and space limitations, had never excited him, and he had no idea why he agreed to go with Barbara to see some show.

A desperate need to get out of his house probably played a part in that decision, and so he found himself on a perfectly good Saturday night slumped in a too-small seat with nowhere near enough leg-room, resigning himself to the limb numbing boredom that was bound to ensue.

But as soon as the lights lit up the stage he was captivated by one of the actors; a tall, brunet who stood ramrod straight in his role as a police officer and delivered his lines with such perfect timing and seriousness that added to the feel of the character he played.

He was perfect and Gavin could not tear his eyes from him, even as the gruesome story of death and betrayal played out. His eyes tracked the man’s every movement, fluid and at home on the stage, as he admired the strength of his jaw and the smooth, relaxing quality of his voice. Barbara noticed his obsession and at the end of the play, after the applause had died down and the curtain had fallen, dragged him forcibly towards the stage door.

“What the bloody  _hell_  are you doing?” Gavin squeaked, trying to unsuccessfully pull his arm from the Canadian’s firm grip. “Let me go!”

“No can do Gav,” she told him, coming to a halt by the foreboding expanse of wood. For the first time in his life Gavin actually felt scared of a door. “You couldn’t keep your eyes off this guy!”

“That isn’t true!”

“Oh it is,” she rolled her eyes, knocking on the door. Gavin resisted the urge to shriek and hide behind her, and was saved from making a decision by her hand smacking his back and propelling him forward. “Remember, his name is Ryan. Have fun!”

She was gone by the time the door was thrown open, revealing the man who had captured his attention. He looked around briefly before his eyes - oh goodness, his eyes were so blue Gavin could drown in them - settled on the Brit.

“Hello there,” he greeted, leaning against the door with a welcoming smile and his arms lightly folded. The sleeves of his shirt were shorter than the one he wore during the performance, and the muscular expanse of skin was so easy to see. Gavin swallowed. “What can I do you for?”

“Er…” Gavin began, suddenly finding his tongue a lot more awkward in his mouth than it usually was. He licked his chapped lips. “I just…well, I just wanted to say…er…”

Ryan raised an eyebrow in a playful way and leant forward. “Yes?” He asked, his sapphire eyes twinkling.

“Youwerereallygoodtonight,” Gavin mumbled in one breath, finding his shoes far more interesting than he ever had before. Ryan laughed, a deep and jovial sound, and clapped his hand onto Gavin’s shoulder.

“Thanks,” he told him happily, standing straighter. “I think you’re the first person to tell me that.”

“Really?” Gavin’s head shot up and he looked at Ryan with incredulous eyes. “Why?! You were amazing!”

“Was I now?”

Gavin nodded enthusiastically, part of him aware of how foolish he was being. Ryan grinned brightly. It lit up his face. “Well, for that compliment I’m definitely going to have to take you out for a drink.”

“Huh?” Gavin blinked, his jaw falling slack. He shook his head frantically. “You really don’t have to!”

Ryan leant forward, his breath warm against Gavin’s cheek as his spoke. “For someone as cute as you, I want to.”


End file.
